Embers
by Dragnoria
Summary: Ears Reddened. Neck Marked Eyes Closed Hair Pulled Body claimed and filled Used and marked. He's Mine. His body belongs to me and only me. So why shouldn't I use him as he's meant to be.
1. Guidelines

There were many, many rules that one had to adhere to while training to be an exorcist, some were spoken and blatantly written and told numerous times, while others were less clear. The unspoken rules, they filled the grey area between the good and bad ones, they weren't so simple and the punishments for them, often differed depending on who you happened to be and who caught you, for instance; Yukio was well regarded for being strict when it came to the rules and his punishments, mimicked that, they were boring and brutal, but kept people in line and ultimately made sense. Then there was Mephisto, and he was...different, sure given his position many people had come to expect him to be all business and no pleasure but in actuality, to the very few who got to know him, he was rather fun, Amaimon was no different in that regard, except whereas Mephisto kept all his fun-loving antics hidden beneath a carefully kept ruse of composure and calmness, Amaimon seemed less concerned with that, and he ran around without restraint, both though were in essence still brothers. They still bickered from time to time and I suppose that very same could be said for Rin and Yukio, they fought and argued all the time, oftentimes though their disagreements ended with guns being pointed and more than a few bruises but ultimately, they were fine. If I were, to be honest with myself, Amaimon and Mephisto offered some semblance of a family, albeit broken and in disarray they still fulfilled the basic necessities and managed to successfully aid me in understanding exactly who I was, how Demons behaved, what was important and what wasn't, how to fight exorcists and how to combat demons as well. Ultimately the training was going well, I was progressing at a smooth pace and occasionally was taken on trips through the Gate and visited my fairly obnoxious uncle-Satan. I didn't ask too many questions about how him and my Father got along and he didn't seem too keen on mentioning it, but when blue flames started flickering around my body, wings occasionally sprouted from my backside and large horns grew from my head, in tandem with everything else, he definitely took an interest in me. We trained, we talked and, our relationship was amicable, more than acquaintances but not quite close enough to be considered "Family" despite our blood ties, he was most interested in exactly how I was a full-blooded Demon, directed related to him, that wasn't bound to one side of the Gate. I could go where I pleased and that definitely pissed him off to no end, ultimately though, he made the decision to observe me from afar, seeing how I developed and if I would make a suitable Prince of Gehenna if anything ever happened to him.

All in all, everything was going rather well, Amaimon and Mephisto took care of me, helped me control certain things and after a while, my horns, wings, tail, and flames were all kept to a minimum, only coming out when called upon. I met Rin and he was fairly interesting, a bit clueless as to his heritage and what exactly that meant, but it was forgivable given who he had been raised by and how they might've warped his opinion of us Demons, especially ones like me, so I made the decision to wait until later to tell him about my own heritage which in all fairness seems a bit hypocritical of me, but that was neither here nor there. I adhered to the rules of the school and had no issues whatsoever, Yukio didn't take note of me, nor of who I was and for all intents and purposes, I was treated like a normal student. Amaimon was quiet and kept a surprisingly silent watch of me, with his Behemoth(He had promised to at some point teach me how to tame one for myself) and, Mephisto ensured that there wasn't any suspicion of me, while also confidently keeping me away from the Holy water and anything else that could single me out.

So long as I followed the rules and didn't do anything too bold, all would be well.

Yet as of right now, if someone asked me why I was currently sitting on a rooftop with my fingers intertwined with Rin's own, as the puffs of condensation that escaped from between our lips, mingled and weaved together in a brief flurry of warmth amidst chilled air, I wouldn't be able to give them a straight answer. His eyes a soft cerulean blue, almost sparkling as they reflected the beautifully deep indigo coloured sky above us. His frigid fingers wrapped and pressed firmly against my own as we watched the exorcist below us, run and weave about, searching for something I presume. Despite the rapidly approaching, familiar voice of Yukio calling out for Rin neither of us could really find the energy to care, especially not when he turned his body ever so slightly, leaned to the side and rested his head against my shoulder, not when I curled an arm around his waist, and held him close, and not with the warmth that bloomed and radiated throughout my chest at the close contact, from an outside perspective this might've looked romantic in some form, but to me, at this very moment, it just felt like a very, very sleepy Rin using my body as his pillow and while I suppose that wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't necessarily a good thing either, not with the way my chest ached with a familiar pang of sadness? Maybe disappointment was a more adequate term, for what I was feeling, but Yukio's footsteps soon reached their peak as he finally stepped out onto the roof, panting and out of air. Not too soon after there was yet another set of footsteps and a familiar scent, this time it was Mephisto, he seemed less tired but all the same they both took in a deep breath as though about to say something, before the words seemingly fell from their lips, breath hitched as their eyes fell down onto the scene before them.

Rin gave a soft hum, body vibrating softly against my own as he lightly rubbed his thumb against my thigh, nails pressing into the fabric of my pants. This was nice, he was nice, the soft scent of ash was rather pleasant all things considered, but of course, that moment couldn't last., not with Yukio looming around, who obviously felt the need to interrupt our little moment, quite literally dragging Rin away amidst a myriad of yelling and swearing. I would've interrupted, in fact at first I was going to, but the soft pink hue that dusted Rin's cheeks gave me pause, the reddening of his ears and the small toothy grin he flashed in my direction calmed my nerves.


	2. Chapter 2: Smile

School is different, difficult in a way, I hadn't really expected, it's more of a struggle to pay attention and not fall asleep, most days are spent aimlessly staring out of a window, waiting until Yukio stopped talking and class ended, which, for the most part, was completely boring, aside from the occasional bird that I saw gliding across the sky or near the windows.

Unfortunately, that's what it was like almost every day. Every. Single. Day. Sitting around in class, with nothing to do, and nobody to talk to. I had made a few friends here and there but nothing concrete, I didn't have any stable, long-lasting friendships and whenever lunch rolled around, I was usually left alone.

There were a few I spoke to; our teacher Yukio(When necessary), Amaimon, and Mephisto being among the few, though I suppose I'll have to add Rin to that list as well. Even still, those interactions are few and far between and usually, they were under the careful watch of exorcists.

But I adjust. I always adjust. I have to adjust, there's no other option here.

It's strange, though, moving into the dorms, seeing all of my classmates in casual clothing doing domestic things. It's… homey in a way that my life back on the other side of the gate isn't. I expected it to feel awkward, but I couldn't bring myself to feel anything other than relieved.

It's… fun. I get roped into group activities like movie nights, study sessions, and the occasional class outing. My favorite moments are those I share with my individual classmates. A sedate morning with Mephisto, both of us sipping our respective hot drinks in companionable silence. Listening to Yukio teach Rin how to do a math problem and getting dragged into it to watch or become a demonstration, I slipped into a mild routine, interacting with the people around me and edging my way closer to the family feel that my class at school gave.

I'm settling in fairly well, in my opinion, save for one glaring exception.

I have always been a little restless at night, and being surrounded by people who were training to kill the very thing that I was definitely didn't help that fact, at all, however I quickly realized that I'm not the only one who can't sleep when I went to the common room to make myself a cup of tea only to find someone already there.

Sitting in the dark, with legs pulled up to his chest at the kitchen table is Rin. He looks utterly tired, and the shadows under his eyes leave the impression of a night haunted by dreams. And then there's the huge swath of clothing pulled loosely around the boy, a warm looking navy blue hoodie with the hood pulled up around his face and slipping forward over his forehead.

The image he makes, sitting curled the way he is, made something in my stomach lurch. Deep blue eyes that seemed to reflect a dark, night sky, his pants were dark and hugged every curve of his legs and thighs while at the same time looking rather soft as well. Those gleaming, sparkling eyes stayed locked onto the table in front of him, staring, watching, waiting for something, almost suspiciously, but...there was still that sad, lonely feeling that radiated from him. Maybe that's why I called out to him instead of backing away slowly from the room before he could notice.

"Rin."

His head tilted under the hood, and he had to push it back to see clearly before speaking, "Oh, hey. I didn't see you come in. You can't sleep either?"

I hummed in agreement before going through the motions of making my tea in relative silence, careful not to disturb the comforting silence between us too much. Once I had my own steaming cup, I sat at the table adjacent to Rin. I expected a comfortable silence, like how things were with Mephisto in the morning, but I should've known better. This wasn't Mephisto after all, so Rin struck up a meandering conversation while I tried to make the appropriate noises in the right places to show I was indeed listening, at least partly.

Surprisingly this was soothing too, in its own special way. Different from Mephisto, and a far cry from the nights I spent down here alone sipping tea in solitary silence, unaware of one another's sleepless plight. It's different from the nights I had spent lying in bed in solitary silence. It's… nice, actually. The lights are dim and cast cool shadows across the tiled floor. Rin spoke softly and expected nothing from my end, and before I knew it I was leaning forward in my seat with my arm propping head up.

"Azazel?"

"Mm?"

"You're smiling," Rin says shyly, voice uncharacteristically timid and meek.

I couldn't really find the energy to care but shrugged all the same, mouth involuntarily twitching up a bit more. Rin had settled deeper inside his cloth cocoon and I did my best not to stare oddly at the way the loose neck of the crimson hoodie slipped down to his collarbone, showing smooth, lightly tanned unblemished skin. His neck looked, smooth, soft and vulnerable in a weird sort of way.

I remembered then how the boy looked when I first came in and took stock for a moment. Rin is still curled into his chair, but his posture is more relaxed, his face still drawn with the tightness of a late night but no longer haunted-looking. The color seems to be returning to his cheeks though, and he fidgets with the soft sleeves of his hoodie.

"Rin. Why did you come out here tonight?"

His indigo coloured eyes snapped up to meet my violet ones before averting quickly. "Ahaa. I uhm. I couldn't sleep. Sorry. Am I bothering you?" He twisted his hands nervously.

"No," I responded, leaning my head to the side, not sure why I added, "I like listening to you talk."

Rin's face gradually pinkens as does my own and we both watch one another with subtle interest as we tried our best to hide our respective embarrassment, Rin bringing his hands up to his face. His hands… they looked small, thin and spindly peeking out barely from under the unnecessarily long sleeves as he drags the material in a singular smooth motion over his dimly illuminated cheeks.

That brought a smile to my lips.

After that, things feel a little easier and less stressful, like things are going to be troublesome and dull, and Rin's parting words echo through the back of his mind, "Y'know Azazel, with you here. It's just a little bit easier to breathe."


End file.
